Red
by Winter Sleep
Summary: RenAi/ Ai dropped her ball into the pond again and Ren appears right after she falls in.
1. Porcelain

**(A/N: This is probably one of the rare het pairings that I enjoy. Nothing much in this one-shot, just that Ai dropped her ball in the water again. I would make this a small series, if I could, but I can't see their relationship going any more than this. I would try… if I got enough reviews, that is. –nudgenudgewinkwink-)**

**Title****: Red**

**Chapter 1****: Porcelain **

Crouched in a small ball at the side of the lake, a hand on the ground to steady herself as her other reached forward, attempting to retrieve the red ball she had dropped into the water. A small wind blew past and her hair was caught up in the breeze, caressing her face and temporarily blinding her as she struggled with the task. She let out no sound of frustration nor showed any of her irritation outwardly. Who knows whether she even felt those feelings? Her nonchalant expression was all that was left on her pretty pale face, ruby red eyes blank and probing and her pink lips neither curving up nor down.

Like a porcelain doll…

Fumbling with the black skirt of her sailor uniform she pulled it over her legs as she dared to reach even more further, dangerously further, the hand that steadied herself now clutching onto a particularly strong cattail. Almost there, she seemed to think until…

Splash.

On her front, jet black hair drenched and sticking to her cheeks, she seemed to frown at herself for repeating her past mistake, resisting the urge to shake her head at her own error. The red ball floated away from her and she made a move towards it, crawling on her hands and knees in the shallow water. Bop, the crimson ball hit the other side of the lake and was picked up not by Ai, but by one of her servants, Ren. "Ojou, you fell in again," he noted with a small hint of a scolding tone one would use with children. But his voice was gentle, all the same. He received a small nod as a reply and the young girl stood up straight, clear lake-water dripping from her damp clothes and her hair a black mess on her shoulders. The red dye of the Hell light around them made the drops on her glitter and another gust blew past, sending a small shiver down her spine.

Calmly, she stepped forward to him, face still nonchalant and her arms stretched out before her, palms up, patiently waiting for her ball to be returned.

Ren shook his head with a bit of exasperation as he dropped the red toy onto her cupped hands. Those usually distant eyes seemed to light up with what looked like joy. Maybe it was her favourite toy? He thought. "You know, Ojou, I told you that you could call for me when this happens…" he reminded her as she clutched the ball at her chest, eyes glancing downwards at the fishless pond. Standing a small level above her, he couldn't see the look she was giving him through the think fringe that stuck to her forehead from the water.

"I didn't want to bother you," she said in her light tone, barely louder than a whisper but audible to the one-eyed male all the same. Her lips disappeared as she sucked on them and reappeared right before she looked up at her servant, catching him off-guard as she murmured a tiny 'thank you'.

"You don't have to thank me, Ojou," he brushed off, placing a hand on the top of her head, giving the black hair a few stokes before withdrawing it. She didn't seem to have objected to the warm palm on her hair but she didn't seem to particularly enjoy it either. Simply, she blinked those big, glass-like crimson optics at him and stepped out of the pond, her socks bunched up at her ankles and water leaking out of her shoes. Walking past him, she started her small journey to the wooden house she always sat in, needing a new pair of clothes. That one eye followed her as she entered the home, her wet shoes left underneath the porch and the red ball placed at the side of the door. Her calm, red eyes stared out at him before the paper sliding door clicked closed.

**(A/N: Remember to review to encourage me to continue this!)**


	2. Blush

**(A/N: Thank you for the reviews and words of encouragement you gave me. I'm not sure whether I'll continue this and progress their relationship too much, but I could always try… With more words of encouragement…)**

**Title****: Red**

**Chapter 2****: Blush**

The young mistress's silhouette appeared slowly as she lit a small candle in the wooden house, her petite, slender frame visible through the fragile walls of the room. Standing up from where she was kneeling, she smoothed down the front of her new dress and stepped towards the main door, her red ball held to her chest protectively. Now wearing a sleeveless white dress, Ai looked more and more like a little porcelain doll, her wide crimson eyes staring out curiously before she finally exited, not bothering to put on her shoes as they were still wet. Treading the soft soil near her red flowers, she stared at her small feet for a moment before looking up, tossing the scarlet ball into the air, catching it skilfully. A barely visible smile appeared on her lips as she continued to silently play by herself.

Lost in her own playtime, she threw the ball particularly high up and it was caught in the wind. Afraid that it might fall into the pond again, she skipped after it, chasing it with her arms outstretched.

Almost there…

Bump.

Instead of her toy, she felt a much larger form than herself and her hands clutched not the rubber of her ball, but the soft material of the person's clothes. Glancing upwards from the awkward, unintentional embrace, face nonchalant once more as her eyes met with Ren's. Ignoring the fact that he had caught her ball for her, she remained in that position, also ignoring the fact that her servant was shocked as well as clueless.

"Ojou," his tender voice echoed in her ears and the older man smiled a little, patting the top of her hair once more, chuckling at the soft blush that had somehow appeared on her usually white cheeks. "I think you dropped this, Ojou."

Drawing back from him, she stretched out her hands eagerly for her ball again, patiently waiting like the polite little child she was. "Again…" she murmured softly as it was returned to her once again.

"Again," Ren echoed her before looking at the dress she wore. "Is this a new dress, Ojou?"

Ai didn't seem to have heard him as she started to toss her ball up and catch it but she answered in her distant voice, "Not really…" Skipping off, she played among her red spider lilies, the crimson flowers a contrast to her snow white dress and ebony black hair. A Snow White in Hell…

"You look quite nice in it, Ojou," he commented and she stopped in her tracks, the ball held in her white hands. She seemed to pause and stare at the ground as if considering what she would say. The breeze picked up again and her hair as well as her dress fluttered softly in the gentle wind through she remained unmoving. Ren didn't mind the silence between them, he was used to it. Finally, she looked up and stared at the bright sun in the claret sky. "Not really…" she mumbled, repeating her earlier words and her feet sprung back to life like a wind-up doll. She started to play with her ball silently once more. Unknowing that the rose blush on her cheeks hadn't completely disappeared.

Red stood by the pond water, eyes tender as he looked over his Mistress. Taking a seat on the ground, he blinked in surprise as he heard what seemed like a small giggle from Ai. His face softened and he smiled.

**(A/N: Remember, read and review!)**


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